Five Things Every Texan Should Be Thankful For

Today is Thanksgiving Day and millions of Americans will gather around the table with family and friends, give thanks for a multitude of things, then spend 30 minutes devouring a meal that took hours to prepare.

We all have so much to be thankful for: our freedom, our family and friends, good health and much more. Being a native Texan, I feel that we Texans, more than any other American, should be especially thankful. God has truly blessed our state in many, many ways. Here are just a few reasons why:

Traveling Texas is an adventure.

From Galveston to Dalhart, from Texarkana to El Paso, we have a variety of climate, nature and landscape that is unmatched anywhere else in the nation. From grass plains to desert, beaches to piney woods, we have it all. We have just about anything you could want when it comes to the great outdoors. Hunting and fishing opportunities abound. The rest of the lower forty eight are jealous.

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2

We have our own power grid.

We don’t have to deal with much of the federal meddling that other states do in this matter and we have our own, independent power grid to thank for it. This gives us a degree of energy independence that is unmatched. It makes Texas a very powerful place to live, no pun intended.

Texas Interconnection Power Grid

3

Our economy is big and it is strong.

Our economy is bigger than that of many countries. In 2012, Texas grossed more than $264 billion a year in exports. That’s more than California and New York combined! If Texas was a country (and as you know we were at one time) we would be the 12th largest economy in the world by GDP, larger than the economies of Australia and South Korea. Our state leaders have been very frugal and that has allowed Texas to avoid the kind of debt that is crippling states such as California and Illinois, for example.

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4

Our Contributions to Music.

Music is a huge part of American culture and Texas has been a massive contributor to the nation on that front. Texas is the birthplace of some of America’s most talented performers: Buddy Holly, Janis Joplin, Willie Nelson, George Strait, Roy Orbison, Townes Van Zandt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Edgar Winter, Pantera ,The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and ZZ Top, just to name a few.

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5

We are an agriculture and energy leader.

Agriculture and energy drive the nation’s economy. We all have to eat and transportation has made this country flourish more than any other innovation. Wheat, sorghum, corn, rice and cotton make up some of our biggest cash crops. Texas has long led the nation in oil and gas production. With the recent discovery of up to billion barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas in the Permian Basin, Texas is poised to be an energy leader for many decades to come.

KBazin

Every corner of America has something to offer. We are an exceptional nation in so many ways. And I’m sure we can all find aspects of every state we love. But being a Texan is feeling like no other. If you were born and raised in Texas, congratulations, you've been truly blessed. And if you’re among the millions who wish you could be here, well, come on down! There’s a chicken fried steak with your name on it!